Featured Snippets (Position 0): How to Aim for Google's Highlighted Answer

A featured snippet (sometimes called "position 0") is a block shown at the top of certain Google results. It directly presents an answer extracted from a page, with a link to its source.

Snippet formats

• Paragraph: a definition or short answer, the most frequent.
• List: numbered steps or bulleted items.
• Table: comparisons, prices, specifications.
• Video: a passage of a video that answers the question.

How Google chooses them

The snippet is generated automatically from the content of pages that already rank well for the query. There is no tag or setting that guarantees it. A page that isn't visible at all for the query has very little chance of appearing in it. Google states that pages selected in a featured snippet are no longer repeated in the organic results of the same results page.

Queries most concerned

• Questions: "what is", "how", "why", "how much".
• Definitions and comparisons.
• Step-by-step procedures.

How to structure your content

• Choose real questions: spot them in autocomplete, the "People also ask" box and Search Console.
• Put the question in a heading (H2 or H3), in a form close to how users phrase it.
• Answer directly under the heading, in one or two clear, self-contained sentences. An answer of roughly forty to sixty words is often observed in paragraph snippets, but it is not an official rule.
• Then elaborate: the rest of the section provides detail, nuance and examples.
• Use a numbered list for steps, and bulleted lists for sets of items.
• Use an HTML table for data comparisons, with clear column headings.
• Take care of the whole page: reliable, well-structured, fast content remains the foundation.

Analyze existing snippets

Type your target queries: does a snippet exist? In which format? Which page holds it? If the current answer is vague, incomplete or old, you have an opportunity by offering a more precise, better presented answer.

Limits and risks

• No guarantee: you can structure well without ever being selected.
• The click gain varies: for a simple question, the snippet may be enough for the user and reduce the visit. For a complex question, it may on the contrary make people want to learn more.
• Snippets change: Google can modify, replace or remove them.

Available controls

If you don't want a passage to be used, directives like nosnippet, data-nosnippet or max-snippet let you limit snippet display. They also reduce your enriched visibility: use them knowingly.

Key takeaway

To aim for a featured snippet, write clear answers to real questions, formatted in a way that is simple to extract, within a complete piece of content. It is also very good writing practice for your readers, whether or not the snippet is earned.